One problem which arises with the use of public telephone directories is their unauthorized removal from designated locations. To address this problem, telephone book covers have been developed which provide means to securely attach the directory to the cover which in turn is secured to a shelf or desk. Exemplary means of the kind used to secure the directory to the cover are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,561,623 Shepherd et. al. and this disclosure is incorporated herein by reference.
Another problem is exposure of a book used in outdoor environments to weathering elements such as wind, rain and snow. This has been addressed in part by providing a cover which in effect houses the directory on all sides and is adapted to deflect precipitation away from the interior of the cover and thereby maintain the directory in good condition with a minimum of replacement being required. A book cover of this nature is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. D310,099 Chapman et. al. and its disclosure is also incorporated herein by reference.
One of the problems addressed by this invention is how to maintain the cover in a closed configuration when it is not in use so that any ingress of precipitation into the cover interior is further minimized.
Another problem addressed by this invention is that of securing the book cover to a shelf or the like so as to make it vandalproof and still another problem relates to efficiently using the available space to make one or more directories conveniently accessible to the user from a stored position known as side face-out. In some prior art devices, the directories are deployed from a side face-out orientation to an off-centre position which effectively increases the operating space required by 50%. This is clearly undesirable and in locations where space is a premium, such devices are impossible to use.
Yet another problem in the storage of more than one directory on a carousel-type mount is that the directories are sometimes left in random positions which gives the telephone booth a cluttered and untidy appearance.